Nina Davuluri grew up watching the Miss America competition on television. But she felt like she wouldn't likely win such a title because she didn't fit a certain mold of blond-haired, blue-eyed girl and didn't have a "normal" talent to perform.

She entered the Miss America competition to earn scholarship money for her education, performing her Bollywood dancing to an appreciative audience, Davuluri told a diverse crowd at Central York School District's 8th Annual Diversity Celebration Thursday night.

Davuluri said she felt that it was timely for the organization to reach out to a new demographic of young women who are representative of America today.

Last fall, she was crowned Miss America 2014.

"For me, it was about reaching out to that young girl who I knew was watching Miss America the night I won and for her to finally be able to say, 'Wow. This year Miss America looks like me, and I don't have to fit a certain stereotype," she said. "America's diversity really is its strength, and that's what this nation was founded upon."

Her year of service as Miss America has been about putting that message out there, Davuluri said. She travels all over, presenting her platform, "Celebrating Diversity Through Cultural Competency."

Parent Mady Hue said she thought Davuluri connected with the students. Davuluri didn't wear a crown or a sash, which showed that she is just like them.

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Central York High School students asked Davuluri several questions during the program. Here is sampling of those questions and how she responded:

Q: What are you going to do after your tenure is over?

Eighth graders Landyn Ray, 14, left, and Nikki Valencik, 15, right, have their photo taken with Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri at Central York Middle School on Thursday evening. "I never really met someone famous, so it was nice," Ray said. He helped to create the artwork in the background. (Kate Penn — Daily Record/Sunday News)

A: I finish my year of service in September. So after that I will actually be applying to MBA programs for the fall of 2015. ... I initially wanted to go to medical school. This was something that I kind of really struggled with in terms of what I wanted to do career-wise because I really felt really pressured to go to medical school. ...I grew up in such a healthcare oriented family. ...To have a title like this, to take on a role like this, it really changes you when you have a year like this because every day is so different. ... I've had the opportunity to work on Capitol Hill with legislation in terms of cultural competency and diversity, meet with countless governors about it. I've also had the opportunity to speak with different colleges/universities, work with different nonprofit organizations, so I think an MBA is more really kind of more of my niche, either doing international relations or nonprofit work.

Q: How do you define culture, and how does your culture define you?

A: "My culture has influenced me immensely, and I think I'm very blessed to have a family that is so open-minded, especially because my extended family wasn't as open-minded but my parents thankfully really were. They instilled in me the values and morals and ethics that I have today, but they also really trusted me to make the decisions for myself and at that point, kind of let me go and become my own person. If they hadn't put that trust in me, I certainly don't think I would have been able to be the person I am today."

She also related back to her talent, Classical Bollywood Fusion, that she performed during the Miss America pageant, and dance "is a great way to express yourself."

Q: What does beauty mean to you?

A: "It is so subjective, and I think it's really difficult for people to understand that a job like Miss America really is a year of service because they often times see that stereotype and think that "Oh, she's just beautiful. There's nothing more to her." So for me, it's really about being intelligent, and I am so very proud of my education. I worked very hard for my degree from the University of Michigan and found a way to fund it myself. ...Anytime I meet with someone, I will first and foremost present myself in a scholastic way because education is absolutely the key to success, and that's really what beauty means to me."

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